Just a few hours after Professor Mahmood Yakubu stepped down as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, directed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest him over alleged contempt of court.
The arrest order came shortly after Yakubu’s tenure officially ended, marking a dramatic twist in his exit from the nation’s electoral body.
Action Alliance accuses INEC of defying court order
The Action Alliance (AA) had earlier taken INEC and its then chairman to court, accusing them of refusing to comply with a judgment delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in case number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
In that ruling, the court ordered INEC to upload the name of the party’s National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, along with other members of its National Executive Committee (NEC), on the commission’s official website.
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Justice Demi-Ajayi also upheld the legitimacy of the Action Alliance’s elective convention held on 7 October 2023, which produced Omoaje and his NEC members.
The court affirmed that the convention was properly conducted and monitored by INEC officials in accordance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
AA rejects INEC’s claim of compliance
Although INEC insisted that it had followed the court’s directive, the Action Alliance disagreed, saying Omoaje’s name had not been uploaded on the commission’s website.
The court observed that while the names of the party’s state chairmen and NEC members under Omoaje appeared on the portal, the omission of Omoaje’s name meant INEC had not fully complied with the ruling.
Court gives police seven days to act
In a fresh order dated 7 October 2025 and signed by O. M. Kilani on behalf of the Court Registrar, the court instructed the Inspector General of Police to arrest Professor Yakubu and initiate contempt proceedings within seven days.
The court also imposed a cost of ₦100,000 against the judgment debtors.
